The hottest Human behavior Substack posts right now

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The wild history of MDMA: 5 Questions for author Rachel Nuwer

The Microdose • 1 HN point • 17 Jul 23
🔬 Science History Research Therapy Human behavior
  1. The history of MDMA has surprising connections and was discovered by accident in a pharmaceutical context.
  2. The first person to try MDMA remains unclear, showing the stigma surrounding the drug in underground communities.
  3. Controversies and ethical dilemmas surrounding MDMA, like with drug dealers and researchers, highlight the complexities of its use despite its reputation for inducing love and empathy.

Shaming with and without naming

world spirit sock stack • 0 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Ethics Morality Values Social norms Human behavior
  1. Shaming can lead to positive utilitarian outcomes in two ways: by instilling fear to avoid wrongdoing and by internalizing values to reduce such behaviors.
  2. Naming the person being shamed can lead to more fear-based avoidance, while not naming them might result in more internalization of values.
  3. Choosing whether to name the person in shaming efforts can impact the outcomes by influencing how individuals align with social norms and values.

Why R tends towards 1

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 12 Aug 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Epidemiology Human behavior Public Health Pandemics Immunity
  1. People's behavior plays a significant role in determining how a pandemic like Covid-19 progresses, even more than epidemiological models predict.
  2. Understanding the concept of R0, the basic reproduction number, helps in identifying peak infection points and herd immunity thresholds.
  3. Human behavior can cause fluctuations in the effective reproduction rate of a virus, ultimately leading to an equilibrium point where the virus becomes stable and endemic.

Lies We Tell in Leadership, Part 3: Polite Fictions

Adventures in Leadership Land • 0 implied HN points • 23 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Leadership Workplace dynamics Social Interactions Human behavior Relationships
  1. Polite fictions are lies we tell each other to maintain gaps between ideals and behaviors.
  2. Organizations often create polite fictions to mask dysfunctional behaviors and maintain social cohesion.
  3. Maintaining polite fictions in leadership can involve pretending to follow all rules, treating everyone fairly, and suppressing personal influences in the workplace.

Carnage (Roman Polanski, 2011)

RUINS • 0 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Film Human behavior Relationships Society Psychology
  1. In the film Carnage, the story revolves around the human quest for justice and the concept of blame.
  2. The movie portrays how people often struggle to assign blame in a quest for justice, especially in the face of terrible events.
  3. Carnage highlights dysfunctional relationships among adults while children show the capacity for reconciliation, reflecting on the breakdown of human relations in modern culture.

The French Revolution!

The False Consensus Effect • 0 implied HN points • 13 Nov 20
💾 History French cuisine Social Psychology Human behavior
  1. The French Revolution significantly impacted the restructuring of the French nation-state, outlawing centuries-old feudal ties and leading to the emergence of a new monarch
  2. Fear of mortal retribution and group paranoia fueled the extreme violence and mass murder during the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution
  3. The Revolution highlights a loss of wisdom in modern society, emphasizing the importance of love, art, and beauty in leading fulfilling lives